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拍品專文
Made in England around 1757, this exquisite jewellery cabinet or curio box would have been commissioned by a merchant of the East India Company for trade with China. Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) was renowned for his keen interest in acquiring exotic luxury items from foreign traders, with pieces like this cabinet being highly sought-after as tributes for him and prestigious gifts for senior officials in Beijing. Finely executed in gold, ormolu, and auspicious stones such as lapis lazuli, bloodstone, and simulated agate, the cabinet’s various interior compartments were designed to hold jewellery and other precious treasures. Its accompanying contemporary label states the cabinet was collected by Li Yongbiao in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign (1759) and lists the contents from when it was received by the Qing court in 1759, which included various Buddhist prayer beads, a rosary, items made of coral, lapis lazuli, and other desirable stones, a Han jade bi, and twelve gold and turquoise-inlaid rings. Though most of the contents have since been separated, the remaining rings match the label’s description, proving to be a further remarkable survival and pointing to a unique commission of Western craftsmanship incorporating precious Chinese objects.
FROM ENGLAND TO CANTON TO THE QING COURT
In the 18th century, the journey to China was long and treacherous. It took twenty months of sailing during which crew faced violent storms, strong and dangerous currents, as well as flat calms and reefs. In addition to the natural challenges, they had to survive raids from pirates - which were expected when travelling through the Sunda and Malacca Straits. All of this was notwithstanding unfortunate strokes of bad luck, such as boardings for inspections, typically provoked by foreign rivals (T. Audric, 2020, p. 15).
The Qing emperors maintained strict control over trade, and by 1757 had established the port of Canton as the exclusive point of contact for Westerners with China. The trading season in Canton was synchronized with the monsoon winds, typically beginning around July or August and ending around January or February (Chao & Van Dyke, 2017, p. 237). Upon arrival, large foreign ships could not proceed directly to Canton; instead, they anchored at the deepwater port of Whampoa Island, downstream from Canton along the Pearl River. From there, crew members had to row small boats up the river to access Canton, the focal point of all trade activities. Before trade could commence, Supercargoes (chief foreign officers in charge of the cargo and commercial interests of the ship) had to negotiate the terms of their trade deals with China during the 'measuring ceremonies'. These ceremonies involved the Yue Hai Guan Bu, known to foreigners as the 'Hoppo' (superintendent of Guangdong Maritime Customs), boarding the ships to assess their size and cargo to determine the import duties owed. The ceremonies were elaborate affairs, during which the Supercargoes presented exotic luxury items such as clocks, jewels, mirrors, and pearls to the Hoppo. These items were highly coveted as tributes for the emperor, and it was the Hoppo’s responsibility to procure them. If negotiations were successful, Supercargoes hoped to secure favorable trade conditions and a warehouse on Whampoa to store their goods until their return journey. After concluding negotiations, the crew and cargo were allowed to proceed to Canton, while the Hoppo gathered selected tributes to present to the Qing court (H. Chao & P. Van Dyke, 2021, pp. 89-90, 94).
Li Yongbiao (李永标) was the Hoppo of Canton on 1 April 1759 when the English ship Pitt arrived in the Pearl River Delta. The Pitt had sailed east of the Philippines so it avoided the monsoon winds and arrived in the so-called 'off-season'. Led by Commodore William Wilson (1715-1795), the ship arrived at Whampoa on 14 April and would have been measured afterward. If Wilson had this jewellery cabinet aboard, he would have shown it to Hoppo Li Yongbiao when he measured the ship. According to the label, the cabinet was collected or received by Li Yongbiao on the 26th day of the 4th month in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign. Converting historical Chinese lunar dates to the modern Gregorian calendar is complex, but it likely corresponds to around 10 June 1759. Li Yongbiao's term as Hoppo ended on 24 August 1759, leaving room for other possibilities besides the Pitt. However, ships of the East India Company such as the Prince of Wales, Winchelsea, Drake, and Walpole arrived after early June, when Li Yongbiao apparently received the cabinet (see: Cy Harrison, ‘Three Decks – Warships in the Age of Sail’, threedecks.org).
A RELATED TIMEPIECE
During the Qing dynasty, the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu, 内务府) created inventories of objects in the various palaces, known as the chenshe dang, or 'Display Archives'. These archives recorded not only items on display but also gifts from the emperors, storeroom contents, new acquisitions, and disposed items. A system was evidently in place for labeling items with yellow tags, like the one accompanying this cabinet, and tracking their movements. Today, the collection records of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei are largely derived from the Display Archives, as their collections mainly consist of items gathered by the Qing Emperors. Many items in these museums still bear similar tags from that period (Chi Johsin, transl. Ming Wilson, 2018-2019).
Interestingly, a very closely related timepiece / necessaire, which was possibly conceived as a pair or related item and remains in the Palace Collection in Beijing. Of nearly identical form, with closely comparable stylistic and constructional traits, it is described as being London-made and the dial is apparently signed by Delul. It also features hidden compartments where small objects can be stored inside and must surely have come from the same workshop as the present lot.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TWELVE RINGS
The twelve rings stored safely inside the jewellery cabinet are Chinese-made and contemporary with the cabinet, dating from the Qianlong period. These rings, along with the other treasures now lost, would have held significant symbolic importance to the Qing court. The use of gold, considered the most auspicious of metals, along with turquoise and lapis lazuli, would have been particularly meaningful. Additionally, the number twelve was of great significance to the Qing rulers. For instance, twelve imperial symbols were used on the emperor’s ceremonial robes: the sun, the moon, constellations, mountains, a pair of dragons, birds, ritual cups, water weeds, millet, fire, an ax, and the symmetrical fu symbol. These symbols, said to have been used since ancient times, represented the emperor’s righteous rule over the universe. In Buddhism, the number twelve signifies the restoration of dharma or the expiation of guilt. Furthermore, Emperor Qianlong is known to have had twelve consorts at one time, so possibly each consort was represented by a ring. His father, Emperor Yongzheng (r. 1722–1735), commissioned a set of twelve paintings of 'beauties' for the Summer Palace in Beijing, further emphasizing the importance of the number twelve.
LEGACY OF THE SAMUEL C. DAVIS COLLECTION
Samuel Craft Davis (1871-1940) was born into a wealthy Saint Louis, Missouri family whose fortune initially stemmed from a thriving dry goods business. However, by the 1890s they successfully transitioned into real estate investment and development. Following Davis’s graduation from Harvard University in 1893, he traveled extensively abroad and became deeply fascinated with Asian art. Upon his return to Saint Louis, he undoubtedly marveled at the 1904 World’s Fair, which marked China's inaugural participation in such an exposition. Shortly thereafter, he began collecting Chinese art in earnest. Guided by renowned Asian art dealer C.T. Loo (Ching Tsai Loo 盧芹齋, 1880- 1957), Davis assembled one of the most impressive 20th century collections of Chinese porcelain and works of art.
Samuel C. Davis’s brother Dwight F. Davis (1879-1945) is perhaps best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. However, he also served under President Calvin Coolidge as Assistant Secretary of War (1923-1925) and as Secretary of War (1925-1929). He then served as Governor General of the Philippines (1929-1932) under Herbert Hoover. The brothers were very close and had neighboring homes in St. Louis.
Upon his death, Samuel C. Davis bequeathed more than 200 selected pieces of Chinese porcelain to the Saint Louis Museum of Art, over 100 Chinese ceramics from the collection were given to Harvard University, and numerous works including the present lot remained cherished possessions within his family's collection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
H.B. Morse, The Chronicle of the East India Company trading to China 1635–1834, vol. II., Oxford, 1926.
Louis Dermigny, ‘La Quarantaine’, Chapter 3, La Chine et l’Occident: Le Commerce a Canton au XVIII Siècle, 1719–1833. 3 vols. and Album, pp. 496-516. Paris: S.E.V.P.E.N., 1964.
Lu Yangzhen (chief editor), Timepieces Collected by the Qing Emperors in the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995.
Catherine Pagani, ‘Clockmaking in China under the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors’, Arts Asiatiques, 1995, Vol. 50, pp. 76-84.
Nicole T.C. Chiang, ‘Redefining an imperial collection: problems of modern impositions and interpretations.’ Journal of Art Historiography, no. 10, 2014, pp. 1-22.
Wen-chien Cheng, ‘Idealized Portraits of Women for the Qing Imperial Court.’ Orientations, vol. 45, no. 4, 2014, pp. 87-99.
Huang Chao and Paul A. Van Dyke, ‘Hoppo Tang Ying 唐英 (1750–1751) and the Development of the Guangdong Maritime Customs.’ Journal of Asian History, vol. 51, no. 2, 2017: pp. 223–56.
Chi Johsin, transl. Ming Wilson, ‘Display Archives and Treasure Boxes’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, Vol. 83, 2018-2019.
Huang Chao and Paul A. Van Dyke, ‘The Hoppo’s Books and the Guangdong Maritime Customs 1685-1842.’ Journal of Asian History, vol. 55, no. 1, 2021, pp. 89-120.
T. Audric, Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820 - An Artistic Meeting Between China and the West, Peter Lang, 2020.
Cy Harrison, ‘Three Decks – Warships in the Age of Sail’, accessed 10 May 2024. www.threedecks.org.
FROM ENGLAND TO CANTON TO THE QING COURT
In the 18th century, the journey to China was long and treacherous. It took twenty months of sailing during which crew faced violent storms, strong and dangerous currents, as well as flat calms and reefs. In addition to the natural challenges, they had to survive raids from pirates - which were expected when travelling through the Sunda and Malacca Straits. All of this was notwithstanding unfortunate strokes of bad luck, such as boardings for inspections, typically provoked by foreign rivals (T. Audric, 2020, p. 15).
The Qing emperors maintained strict control over trade, and by 1757 had established the port of Canton as the exclusive point of contact for Westerners with China. The trading season in Canton was synchronized with the monsoon winds, typically beginning around July or August and ending around January or February (Chao & Van Dyke, 2017, p. 237). Upon arrival, large foreign ships could not proceed directly to Canton; instead, they anchored at the deepwater port of Whampoa Island, downstream from Canton along the Pearl River. From there, crew members had to row small boats up the river to access Canton, the focal point of all trade activities. Before trade could commence, Supercargoes (chief foreign officers in charge of the cargo and commercial interests of the ship) had to negotiate the terms of their trade deals with China during the 'measuring ceremonies'. These ceremonies involved the Yue Hai Guan Bu, known to foreigners as the 'Hoppo' (superintendent of Guangdong Maritime Customs), boarding the ships to assess their size and cargo to determine the import duties owed. The ceremonies were elaborate affairs, during which the Supercargoes presented exotic luxury items such as clocks, jewels, mirrors, and pearls to the Hoppo. These items were highly coveted as tributes for the emperor, and it was the Hoppo’s responsibility to procure them. If negotiations were successful, Supercargoes hoped to secure favorable trade conditions and a warehouse on Whampoa to store their goods until their return journey. After concluding negotiations, the crew and cargo were allowed to proceed to Canton, while the Hoppo gathered selected tributes to present to the Qing court (H. Chao & P. Van Dyke, 2021, pp. 89-90, 94).
Li Yongbiao (李永标) was the Hoppo of Canton on 1 April 1759 when the English ship Pitt arrived in the Pearl River Delta. The Pitt had sailed east of the Philippines so it avoided the monsoon winds and arrived in the so-called 'off-season'. Led by Commodore William Wilson (1715-1795), the ship arrived at Whampoa on 14 April and would have been measured afterward. If Wilson had this jewellery cabinet aboard, he would have shown it to Hoppo Li Yongbiao when he measured the ship. According to the label, the cabinet was collected or received by Li Yongbiao on the 26th day of the 4th month in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign. Converting historical Chinese lunar dates to the modern Gregorian calendar is complex, but it likely corresponds to around 10 June 1759. Li Yongbiao's term as Hoppo ended on 24 August 1759, leaving room for other possibilities besides the Pitt. However, ships of the East India Company such as the Prince of Wales, Winchelsea, Drake, and Walpole arrived after early June, when Li Yongbiao apparently received the cabinet (see: Cy Harrison, ‘Three Decks – Warships in the Age of Sail’, threedecks.org).
A RELATED TIMEPIECE
During the Qing dynasty, the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu, 内务府) created inventories of objects in the various palaces, known as the chenshe dang, or 'Display Archives'. These archives recorded not only items on display but also gifts from the emperors, storeroom contents, new acquisitions, and disposed items. A system was evidently in place for labeling items with yellow tags, like the one accompanying this cabinet, and tracking their movements. Today, the collection records of the Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei are largely derived from the Display Archives, as their collections mainly consist of items gathered by the Qing Emperors. Many items in these museums still bear similar tags from that period (Chi Johsin, transl. Ming Wilson, 2018-2019).
Interestingly, a very closely related timepiece / necessaire, which was possibly conceived as a pair or related item and remains in the Palace Collection in Beijing. Of nearly identical form, with closely comparable stylistic and constructional traits, it is described as being London-made and the dial is apparently signed by Delul. It also features hidden compartments where small objects can be stored inside and must surely have come from the same workshop as the present lot.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TWELVE RINGS
The twelve rings stored safely inside the jewellery cabinet are Chinese-made and contemporary with the cabinet, dating from the Qianlong period. These rings, along with the other treasures now lost, would have held significant symbolic importance to the Qing court. The use of gold, considered the most auspicious of metals, along with turquoise and lapis lazuli, would have been particularly meaningful. Additionally, the number twelve was of great significance to the Qing rulers. For instance, twelve imperial symbols were used on the emperor’s ceremonial robes: the sun, the moon, constellations, mountains, a pair of dragons, birds, ritual cups, water weeds, millet, fire, an ax, and the symmetrical fu symbol. These symbols, said to have been used since ancient times, represented the emperor’s righteous rule over the universe. In Buddhism, the number twelve signifies the restoration of dharma or the expiation of guilt. Furthermore, Emperor Qianlong is known to have had twelve consorts at one time, so possibly each consort was represented by a ring. His father, Emperor Yongzheng (r. 1722–1735), commissioned a set of twelve paintings of 'beauties' for the Summer Palace in Beijing, further emphasizing the importance of the number twelve.
LEGACY OF THE SAMUEL C. DAVIS COLLECTION
Samuel Craft Davis (1871-1940) was born into a wealthy Saint Louis, Missouri family whose fortune initially stemmed from a thriving dry goods business. However, by the 1890s they successfully transitioned into real estate investment and development. Following Davis’s graduation from Harvard University in 1893, he traveled extensively abroad and became deeply fascinated with Asian art. Upon his return to Saint Louis, he undoubtedly marveled at the 1904 World’s Fair, which marked China's inaugural participation in such an exposition. Shortly thereafter, he began collecting Chinese art in earnest. Guided by renowned Asian art dealer C.T. Loo (Ching Tsai Loo 盧芹齋, 1880- 1957), Davis assembled one of the most impressive 20th century collections of Chinese porcelain and works of art.
Samuel C. Davis’s brother Dwight F. Davis (1879-1945) is perhaps best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. However, he also served under President Calvin Coolidge as Assistant Secretary of War (1923-1925) and as Secretary of War (1925-1929). He then served as Governor General of the Philippines (1929-1932) under Herbert Hoover. The brothers were very close and had neighboring homes in St. Louis.
Upon his death, Samuel C. Davis bequeathed more than 200 selected pieces of Chinese porcelain to the Saint Louis Museum of Art, over 100 Chinese ceramics from the collection were given to Harvard University, and numerous works including the present lot remained cherished possessions within his family's collection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
H.B. Morse, The Chronicle of the East India Company trading to China 1635–1834, vol. II., Oxford, 1926.
Louis Dermigny, ‘La Quarantaine’, Chapter 3, La Chine et l’Occident: Le Commerce a Canton au XVIII Siècle, 1719–1833. 3 vols. and Album, pp. 496-516. Paris: S.E.V.P.E.N., 1964.
Lu Yangzhen (chief editor), Timepieces Collected by the Qing Emperors in the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995.
Catherine Pagani, ‘Clockmaking in China under the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors’, Arts Asiatiques, 1995, Vol. 50, pp. 76-84.
Nicole T.C. Chiang, ‘Redefining an imperial collection: problems of modern impositions and interpretations.’ Journal of Art Historiography, no. 10, 2014, pp. 1-22.
Wen-chien Cheng, ‘Idealized Portraits of Women for the Qing Imperial Court.’ Orientations, vol. 45, no. 4, 2014, pp. 87-99.
Huang Chao and Paul A. Van Dyke, ‘Hoppo Tang Ying 唐英 (1750–1751) and the Development of the Guangdong Maritime Customs.’ Journal of Asian History, vol. 51, no. 2, 2017: pp. 223–56.
Chi Johsin, transl. Ming Wilson, ‘Display Archives and Treasure Boxes’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, Vol. 83, 2018-2019.
Huang Chao and Paul A. Van Dyke, ‘The Hoppo’s Books and the Guangdong Maritime Customs 1685-1842.’ Journal of Asian History, vol. 55, no. 1, 2021, pp. 89-120.
T. Audric, Chinese Reverse Glass Painting 1720-1820 - An Artistic Meeting Between China and the West, Peter Lang, 2020.
Cy Harrison, ‘Three Decks – Warships in the Age of Sail’, accessed 10 May 2024. www.threedecks.org.